My brother Ralfy has quite a few solar lights in his garden, most of them custom modified and made more weather resilient. These standard IKEA ones have been pretty good, but I noticed that some were misbehaving and decided to take a look to see what was up.
I got the "straw hat" LEDs from this seller on eBay:-
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=white+straw+hat&_ssn=colorfulplace888&hash=item4ac8378bfa%3Ag%3AY28AAOSwDk5T09KL&item=321186663418&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xwhite+straw+hat+5mm.TRS1&_nkw=white+straw+hat+5mm&_sacat=0
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
I got the "straw hat" LEDs from this seller on eBay:-
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=white+straw+hat&_ssn=colorfulplace888&hash=item4ac8378bfa%3Ag%3AY28AAOSwDk5T09KL&item=321186663418&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xwhite+straw+hat+5mm.TRS1&_nkw=white+straw+hat+5mm&_sacat=0
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
Long time ago I worked for a company repairing two way radios. We used to vacuum the inside cavity out and then reseal! Somehow I can’t see these cheap manufacturers bothering with that kind of effort! Pity!
Good restoration, thank you 🙂
Being a professional electronics technician for 40+yrs I can't get over how many people who solder don't keep their soldering iron tips clean and tinned. When you use flux and keep the tip thinned soldering is far more fun and efficient.
A trick with solar lights is to disassemble after buying ( who does ! ) and conformal coat the pcb BEFORE putting in a wet UK garden ! ( many are designed in California , hot and dry and LOTS of sun ! ! )
“I bought this on eBay I’m pretty sure.”
We are too Clive.
Silicone glue a balloon inside to create an air overflow container so to speak…. The heated air fills the balloon while hit and the same air returns when cooled
Ikea do good lada AA's 2450 mAh which are basically eneloop pro's as they come from the same factory in Japan for half the price £7.
It's all the minor details that make the difference. The in between mess that's rarely shown. Most vids do a step by step of the action itself but knowing the small mundane details makes it all the more comprehendible .
Go further when resurrecting devices with outdoor PCB's – clean it up then spray the trace side with clear coat/acrylic to prevent future corrosion
Interesting to see the Ikea version, because I've picked up some Dollar Tree ones a few times, and same problems with the seals but worse, and dig this: they come with NiCad batteries!! I thought NiCds were illegal now, but in any case, paying a dollar to introduce cadmium into the waste stream for s dollar is a bad deal to say the least. They should be taken off the market.
Some if the other dollar stores use low grade NiMH (NickelMetalHydride) batteries, but they work fine. I've replaced a couple with good quality NiMH batteries and the lights work great if they're put in a sunny spot.
The way you tell the difference is the latter (NiMH) have a flap that holds in the batteries, but the NiCads always have screws that have to be removed to look at the batteries, so it's easy to avoid them.(note: this only applies to the dollar store versions – obviously from this video the more expensive ones have screws on all of them, which is better design anyway because water can just pour in through those flaps. I've tried putting a bead of silicone seal across the flap, and that seems to work pretty well.
There's a California law that requires retailers that sell products containing Ni, Cd, Hg or any other toxic metals to recycle them, but if you bring batteries back to dollar stores, I'll bet they just toss them, so please return them to a recycling center. Thank you!
I'm a bit of a fanatic because years ago a friend was making up NiCd battery packs for his job, and started feeling ill – he went to the doctor and they did a toxin screen – lo and behold, he had accumulated enough cadmium to affect his health. A few weeks of chelation meds made him feel much better.
Where do you get your screw driver
good tip for cleaning little garden solar light panels that go hazy and opaque is Autosol metal polish. Bit of elbow grease with a few dobs of that and they are practically good as new.
I am worried about your fingernails. They look like you are a notorious nailbiter.
Can I drop my solar light that isn’t illuminating round later please Clive? 🤣